Archive and Manuscript Collections

Morgan Powell was a gardener, historian and community activist who has almost single-handedly publicized the African American contribution to maintaining green space and inland waterways in the Bronx. The organization he created, the Bronx River Sankofa, organized walking tours, slide shows and lectures that have attracted hundreds of participants, and have inspired widespread interest in previously unrecognized dimensions of community history. He also was a relentless critic of development policies which have threatened green space in the Bronx, and which have the potential to displace current residents.

Mr. Powell's papers are held in Archives and Special Collections, Walsh Library-Fordham University Bronx NY.

Mr. Powell participated in the Bronx African American Oral History Project. A pdf and download are available

Mr. Powell was an avid reader and collected books in many subjects including local NY history, African American History and his hobby, gardening. The books do not circulate and are stored in the rare book section of Special Collections.

The archives also have the binders used in Mr. Powell's walking tours.

The Bronx African American History Project

This is a link to the library research repository collection of BAAHP content.

The Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP) is dedicated to uncovering the cultural, political, economic, and religious histories of the more than 500,000 people of African descent in the Bronx.

Founded in 2002, the collection is located at both the Walsh Library at Fordham University and the Bronx County Historical Society.